No sooner did I tell the universe last fall that I wanted to cook and needed dishes for my personal chef-catering business when Sherry, co-owner of weareblackwomen.com, gave me beautiful china and linens (one of her auction finds) for my first food gig.

Well, I received another unexpected windfall recently. My “cousin” Sis died suddenly and I inherited almost all of her belongings, simply because her son wanted them to go to someone who would treasure them. And that would be me.

What better gift to a kitchen buff than a crystal cake plate, four sets of dessert china or an assortment of crystal vases that I can barely lift? They are all beautiful things that Sis inherited from her parents, “Mom and Pop” Connors. Pop was a caterer and my dad worked for him while he was in college. Growing up, we’d make pop calls to the Connors’  house on Sundays after church. Mom Connors baked and always had on an apron.

I also distinctly remember a chocolate cake always sitting on her dining room table whenever we dropped in for a visit.

Growing up, my sisters and I would always give our own mother aprons for Mother’s Day, and before my windfall, I’d recently asked my children to do the same for me. I love aprons, and historically they’ve been used in many professions.

Inheriting Mom and Sis Connors’ aprons reminded me of how on every Mother’s Day I’m grateful to have my own mom around. I realize that Mom is getting up there in age and our times together are precious, so I don’t take one moment of our chats for granted. Just this morning, Mom called me all excited because my paternal grandmother, whom I refer to frequently in this blog as Muddie, had come to her in a dream. Mom said that Muddie told her how happy she was that I was catering, which for me indicates a big nod of approval from my ancestors. I always feel their presence when they approve of what I’m doing, which has happened countless times with Healthy Southern Comforts.

Oddly enough, about two weeks ago I had complained about never being able to find a clean apron when I needed one.

Now, thanks to Momma Sis, I have two dozen aprons, all hand-made and all very special.

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After listening to her experience,  I decided to try it myself in an attempt to perfect a recipe before I share some with her.

As a cook who has learned many of my skills by listening and observing my mother and my grandmothers, and as a journalist who spent two decades working in radio before moving to print, I sometimes find it easier to tell rather than write down recipes. I’m really an auditory person, and the oral tradition is  in my nature. Like my elders did with me, I’m using that same method to teach my own children how to navigate their way around a kitchen.

During  slavery, African Americans weren’t allowed to read or write, and many of our ancestors passed down our history orally. Fortunately,  the oral tradition had been learned in Africa before they were taken from their own country and brought to America. In the Motherland, pertinent information was traditionally preserved by a person known as  a griot. The site www.soundjunction.org describes a griot as  “a musician, a sage and a unifier – one of the key figures in African society.”

In cooking, recipes are often passed down in that same oral tradition. But  since the digital age has become so prominent throughout society, much of this technique  is lost and people often rely on technology instead of their  memories.

Sherry and Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb, the owners of the We Are Black Women blog network, have suggested that I return to my broadcast roots, explain my recipes into a recorder and transcribe them for print.With my strong radio background, I plan to turn them into podcasts and in the tradition of our ancestors,  will eventually publish them here through the spoken word,  as well as the written.

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